HOA pays for water/sewer/garbage?

[Leah Shanker]

I'm looking at purchasing multifamily property in the Phoenix area and noticing a trend of listings with HOA dues covering water, sewer & garbage. Does anyone have experience with this type of setup?

A few questions:

- How easy would it be to convince either the city or the HOA to switch to individual water metering so the tenants are responsible? (Is it worth it?)

- What happens in either a non-payment shutoff or a flood-type situation? Would the other owners just pool together the HOA funds to cover the cost?

Thank you for your help!